This year, I have a huge focus on giving back to my community. I have been working on ways to use my Thirty-One business to make the world a better place. Because my mom taught me that one person really can change the world. And of course I didn’t believe her, but I was listening…

The one thing she always said that sticks with me daily, is “You never know what moment will change a person’s life forever”. And I’m living/walking proof of that statement, so it’s my mission to spread my mother’s heart well past her own physical reach. And thus…SHE has made a huge impact on the world. And proof that one person really CAN change the world and create a domino effect.

Couple life lessons from my mother (very smart lady) that I didn’t listen to until I actually moved out. Those kind of lessons that you HEAR as a child, but don’t even know that she’s embedding those lessons into your soul until your grown and screaming it at your own kids. LOL

One…every holiday, she would make more food than we could possibly eat. Then she would spend 2 hours driving around delivering food to people she knew that were spending that holiday alone. And it was like pulling teeth to get me to go. But she made me. And I’m glad she did. Because she taught me a very valuable lesson. If you’re able to give…GIVE. If you’re able to make one small change (just make a little extra food), and reach out to someone who needs a little TLC. Those random acts of kindness are something I do, and involve my kids in, OFTEN.

Two…every winter she would go buy coats and drag me around delivering coats to the homeless or mentally ill that we would see on the side of the road. You know…you get to know their faces around town. And I worked at a theater on Main St. so I definitely knew their faces, and even talked to some of them. This guy Curt would come into my work everyday and ask me what time it was, he carried a stopwatch. If you told him a different time than he had, he would argue with you. So I learned very quickly to say, “I don’t Curt, what time you got?” Anyways…side rant…he got a coat from my dear mom on a couple of occasions. Lesson learned…be thankful for what you have, and help others who are less fortunate than you. Because that is what is asked of us from the Man above, right?

For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

So this is what I have decided to do this year, thanks Mom 😉

So the first way I’ve incorporated giving back to my community is this:

My friend Melanie Moore shared the Death by Chocolate game withe me. And I of course, shared that with all of you. If you haven’t seen it, check it out here:

So I took that game, and I am making a series of games like THIS…that I will use at my parties to collect things to donate to local charities. So for instance, here is my latest, the Non-perishable Food game.

You tell your hostess to call all her guests the night before her party and ask them to bring one non-perishable food item to the party. And that someone will be earning a prize.

Here’s a picture you can send her in a text, and she can also text it to all of her guests:

This, of course, is to 1) give your hostess a reason to reach out to all her guests and give them a reminder of her party. And what does that do for you? Increases attendance and peaks their curiosity about the party. 2) This is a great icebreaker for your party 3) Gives an opportunity for you to be able to introduce the fact that you’re using your own business to give back. Your integrity and trust level just went up 10 points with your guests. WIN/WIN.

So here it is:

Now…you have planted some booking seeds, some recruiting seeds, AND…you’re doing something great for your community.

I will be making a series of these games to share. We will be doing old shoes, old purses, coats, slacks, and various other items that we can donate locally to help our own community! And I will be sure to share them all here.

So, the second way I have decided to give back in my own community is this (also an idea from my wonderful friend Melanie Moore):

Each month, the first person to book a home show in a particular month, gets to choose which non-profit organization that 10% of my own personal sales will go to. Now, you don’t have to do 10%, you could even do 5%. But here’s the idea:

1. Put a cap on it. So…up to $350 a month is my cap right now. But my business is BOOMING, and that is do-able for me.

2. When you donate to a non-profit organization, it is tax-deductible. Wouldn’t you rather give your money to a non-profit organization than Uncle Sam? Heck yeah, I’m all over it! Just make sure they have a 501-C3, and are a TRUE non-profit organization. And make sure you keep receipts for each donation.

3. When you donate, make sure you tag that organization, and maybe even all your hostesses, when you announce the donation on social media. This allows for everyone to see that your hostesses and customers are part of something much bigger! And who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

4. I’m a marketing strategist. And this is no different. Make sure you’re tagging and HASHtagging on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Hashtag key words like your city name and the organization. See the picture above for an example.

5. There are rules on donations for businesses. So make sure you talk to your tax peeps and find out the CAP on tax-deductible donations. Because there is one. I’ve always been told $5,000 is the rule of thumb. But I found this website that says up to 20% of your income. So make sure you ASK and do your research!

6. This is doing something great, but it’s also a booking and recruiting tool for you if you use it wisely. It’s getting your name out into the community. You’re meeting new people dealing with these new organizations (go in person to deliver these whenever possible).

7. At your parties, after the game, this gives you the opportunity to tell your guests hat you’re doing with the items. And that is a GREAT way to introduce yourselves and your business to your guests, don’t you think?

So, I hope this inspire you to do something GREAT this year! To give back and do something special for your business and for others. And if there is something that YOU do to give back…please share!! I’m always looking for new ways to do BIG things! Cause we’re all #BetterTogether

You KNOW I love this blog post! Spreading kindness is like sprinkling glitter, it gets all over anyone near you!! I love it!!!

The gift-in-kind parties are an awesome resource for people to help others. Most people really want to help others, they just don’t know how or what to do, you are giving them that channel to help. Every party, every event, every team meeting I have ever done this at has been super successful!!!